City
Maine to unveil first state park in 25 years on Dec. 8
2009 Sun Journal file photo
Turner resident and local historian Jody Goodwin checks out the scenery from the shoreline of the Androscoggin River during a tour of the new Riverlands State Park in Turner.
Public Meeting
The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands will host a public meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, to explore options for enhancing recreation — both motorized and non-motorized — in the new Androscoggin Riverlands State Park in Turner.
The meeting will begin with an open house from 6 to 6:30 p.m. to allow people to review displays depicting various aspects of the proposed plan for the 2,588-acre park in Turner and Leeds.
Comments will help create the final plan, which is expected to be done by mid-February.
For more information, contact Kathy Eickenberg, chief of planning, 22 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0022, Katherine.eickenberg@maine.gov, or 287-4963; or visit http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/planning/andro/androindex.shtml.
2009 Sun Journal file photo
Jared Buckingham of Greene rides the Old Farmstead Trail at the Androscoggin Riverlands State Park in Turner.
A group of mountain bikers ride the trails at Androscoggin Riverlands State Park in Turner every Sunday morning.
TURNER — People can get their first look at the proposed plan for Androscoggin Riverlands State Park at a public meeting next week at the University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn College.
The meeting is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, in the conference facilities at 51 Westminster St. in Lewiston. The session will explore options for enhancing recreational opportunities in Maine's first state park in 25 years.
Located mostly in Turner, locals know the 2,588-acre Androscoggin Riverlands State Park as the Turner Game Preserve for its abundant wildlife, said Kathy Eickenberg, chief of planning for the Maine Department of Conservation's Bureau of Parks and Lands.On the opening day this year of Maine's firearms season for deer, hunters bagged six bucks in the park, Ed Morris, president of the Turner Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club, said Tuesday.
"It has some of the best hunting in town," Morris said.
It's a different kind of park, Eickenberg said. "It's more like some of the public reserve lands that we hold."
Located within an hour's drive of about 50 percent of Maine's population, the mostly wooded area includes 2,588 acres along the west shore of the Androscoggin River just north of the Auburn line, and about 200 acres along the east shore in Leeds.
Access to the Leeds section is by river or snowmobile only, Eickenberg said.
The river lands include significant wildlife habitat, shoreland along 8 miles of the river, diverse natural communities, historic landscapes, scenic views and a recreational trails network needing maintenance.
"It's like being right out in the middle of the woods just outside of Lewiston," Eickenberg said.
Money from the Lands for Maine's Future Program bought the land in 1990 and 1991 from timber management corporation Diamond Occidental.
The park has 15 miles of multiuse trails and about 8 miles of hiking trails. Camping is by backpacking only, Morris said.
The Turner Cove purchase in 2007 extended the park closer to Auburn.
"It's a wonderful recreation system in a wildlife habitat area, with some great old historic foundations along some of the old roads dating back to the 1800s still on the property," Eickenberg said.
She said park officials hope someday to include a bike connection between Turner and Auburn.
Adjustments to the existing trail system are proposed to provide a balance of motorized and non-motorized recreation experiences, and to ensure that wildlife habitat values are not degraded by increased use.Hunting and trapping will continue in the park, but it won't be managed for timber harvesting, Eickenberg said.
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
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Displaying comments, from newest to oldest
Folks...there is no plan to
Folks...there is no plan to look at "fees" at this park. I encourage all of you to attend the meeting and understand why local residents pushed to acquire this land 20 years ago and how the proposal meets the original intent of that local support.
It is unfortunate that folks rant online without the facts and then don't come to meetings to share those thoughts. Please attend and be part of the discussion.
Be serious, what government
Be serious, what government project doesn't end up costing money??? Of course they don't 'plan' to, but they ALWAYS do eventually. The land is being used as originally intended, there is no reason to mess with it now. Don't think for one second that it won't cost any money for them to 'improve' things. I used to go to state parks all over the state, and hate to think this will become another one of those with gates and fees and new rules and restrictions. I beg the state not to frig this land up. I have voiced my opinion already and it has obviously fell on deaf ears. This land is fantastic just the way it is. (This will happen eventually, don't fool yourself into thinking they won't) Just because they don't have a plan now, guess what, once they start messing it up, they will have no choice, somebody will have to pay for the 'new services'.
I have yet to hear anyone give a good reason the current use of this land, which is accesable to everyone now, must be changed?
See what I mean about giving
See what I mean about giving a spongetron a freebie? First you have a nice place that hunters use during hunting season. There are the ATV'ers who use it; and are apparently able to share use with other natures lovers without fighting Its also used by fishermen, and boaters, and soon bikers, and on and on. Then you make it a state park and you get dumbasses like spongetron, who want to immediately restrict its' use.
If the State does not turn
If the State does not turn it into a State Park, they cannot get any admission money. Toll Booths on Main and Center Streets are next if possible.
There is nothing broken or
There is nothing broken or wrong with the piece of land now. Anyone can use it in almost anyway now, horseback riders, hikers, bikers, atv's, fisherman, hunters, ect. Why in the world does the state need to come in and mess it up? Don't they already have more than enough messes they have created to clean up now without trying fix something that works so well now????
Let the fighting begin.
Let the fighting begin. People everyone should be able to use it. Hunter should be able to hunt! Tree huggers can Hug the trees, just wear orange you idiots. It's a great parcel of land, and for you non-educated tree hugging, liberals. Need to wake up and learn how to share, yeah thats something you shoud have had a grasp on in Kindergarten. Next you will say not to let people ride horses becaus you dont want to walk in horse crap. Get a clue. It's maine, we hunt and ride ATV's!!!!!
Well said JohnnyP. Tron
Well said JohnnyP. Tron thats a great idea! We can call it the Hippielands Park too and use the land for nothing.
verified Great new park, only I hope
Great new park, only I hope hunting and use of motorize vehicles are prohibited. We should leave the area pristine and quiet, not for animal slaughter and ATVs and snowmachines.
"We should leave the area
"We should leave the area pristine and quiet"
-Well, right now it is mostly used for hunting and ATV-ing. Your point is moot.
verified I realize that, however it
I realize that, however it is now going to be a state park, and everyone deserves the rights and privileges of using it. Hunting and motorize vehicles are not for everyone and would be a danger to most people. It's all about the better good. There's millions of acres for you to hunt and ride, leave this small piece to the rest of society.
You could say the same thing
You could say the same thing from the other side: There's plenty of land in Maine that restricts hunting and motorized vehicles...
***********
[Insert juvenile political statement here]
tron says "I realize that,
tron says
"I realize that, however it is now going to be a state park, and everyone deserves the rights and privileges of using it. Hunting and motorize vehicles are not for everyone and would be a danger to most people. It's all about the better good. There's gillions of acres for you to hunt and ride, leave this small piece to the rest of society."
"Everyone" but People who hunt and use ATV's. Just so you know thats not everyone.
"and everyone deserves the
"and everyone deserves the rights and privileges of using it." - That is how it is now, without making it a state park.
"It's like being right out
"It's like being right out in the middle of the woods just outside of Lewiston," Eickenberg said.
-That's because you are "right out in the middle of the woods." It's Turner and we like it that way. When I go to Lewiston, it's like being in the middle of the city just outside of Turner.
This is terrible news. The
This is terrible news. The government is incompetent and will ruin this park as soon as they start making changes and adding fees. It is a great park now as it is, relatively undisturbed. I am a frequent visitor to this land, in fact I went there and used the trail on my ATV last Sunday. Once the state starts messing around, there will be lots of new restrictions, changes and fees that will spoil this great multi use land. Why do they feel they need to get their hands in this piece of land 1000's of people already enjoy? Don't they have enough things to worry about and spend money on elsewhere already? Why screw this up? What a shame.
This is an absolute gem of a
This is an absolute gem of a park if you havent visited and walked this area you are missing out on one of the best walks around.
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verified on "Wind power: $1 billion and growing"
. .. .Thanks , Stig ,
. .. .Thanks , Stig , 12.02.06 21:45 hst •
Guess what we'll be watching on TV ? Uh huh -->
http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/05/turbine-cowboys-give-wind-power-its-...
Rural nostalgia for a time that never was is so boring at times , isn't it , Jason ?
Alo'ha , /s Steve , who , ( parenthetically ), owns 36 coconut trees , a mango tree , breadfruit and beetlenut trees , grows his own sweet potatos and taro , cinnamon ( it's the bark of a tree ) , mountain apples ( tropical ) , papayas and pineapples and a New Hampshire red chicken that gives me a fresh brown egg every day and a geothermal power plant in my back yard
No ME potatos or sour grapes though ( not pointed at you :)
verified on "Wind power: $1 billion and growing"
Wind power: $1 billion and growing
Nice √ Monday 21:40 HST •
T. Boone Pickens has to put his money somewhere . Wind power doesn't pollute the air like the coal fired power plants in the midwest and communist China . Wind blows at night when the sun is down . ME has a long history of wind power ( and acid rain ) already http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Maine " In Maine, the wind power industry has invested $1 billion in recent years. No other industry in the state can claim a similar level of investment or job creation. " What do your Hon. U .S . Senators think about all this ? They sure have missed the boat on B I W contracts . Personally i favor hydropower ( the St. Johns River ) , your Bay of Fundy tides , and geothermal ( IMBY Puna geothermal ) but i am in Hawai'i where we still use mostly Alaskan oil , unfortunately
h t h , Steve
Subscribe to the WSJ ® and support the LSJ ® ( they advertise it )
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verified on "B. Bussiere: Tirade has no traction"
Perhaps I could better
Perhaps I could better understand your point of view if you criticized the tax code instead of attacking the individual.
Attacking the individual shows hues of envy.
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